Teshie residents benefit from Coca-Cola bed nets

Accra, April 29, GNA – The Management and Staff of Coca-Cola Ghana on Saturday distributed and hanged 1,000 World Health Organisation’s approved long lasting insecticide treated mosquito nets in homes of residents of Teshie, a suburb of Accra.    rn rnThe distribution coincided with this year’s World Malaria Day celebrated on April 25 on the theme: “Sustain Gains, save lives: Invest in Malaria”. rn   rnThe distribution and hanging of the treated nets were done in partnership with NetsforLife and the Anglican Diocesan Development and Relief Organisation.  rn  rnMr Isaac Antwi, Public Affairs Director of the Coca-Cola Bottling Company, Ghana, said the exercise was done with voluntarism from members of staff who sees the eradication of the malaria disease as a collective responsibility.    rn rnHe said experts believe that sleeping under the treated nets could reduce mosquito bites and reduce the incidence of malaria.    rn rn“Research shows that when three-quarters of the people in a community uses treated nets properly, malaria transmission is cut by 20 per cent and the mosquito population drops by 90 per cent,” he noted.    rn rnHe said the partnership with NetsforLife has saved the lives of more than 100,000 children under the age of five, reducing the overall malaria-related death rate of 45 per cent in those communities where the programme was active.  rn rnrnHe said currently the company has supported the distribution of more than two million long lasting insecticide treated nets in communities across the country.    rn rnMadam Delai Awusi, Business Development Manager of NetsforLife, said the programme has been successful because of a holistic and integrated approach which was used, coupled with community education and monitoring work.    rn rnShe said more than 8.7 million treated nets were distributed in 17 countries across Africa.    rn rnDr Joseph Oliver-Commey, Acting Medical Director of Ledzokuku-Krowor Municipal Assembly Hospital, commended Coca-Cola and its partners for the efforts to eradicate the malaria menace.    rn rnHe said the distribution of the treated nets across the country was to ensure that every household sleeps under insecticide treated nets as part of measures to sustain gains under the National Malaria Preventive Programme.    rn rnAvailable statistics indicates that about 67 per cent of pregnant women had their unborn babies protected from malaria due to the use of intermittent preventive treatment.rn rn rn rn rnGNArn